Page 9 of Wolf Blood

"You're beautiful," Ryker said, his hand trailing over my protruding hip bone.

I had been beautiful,before. Strong and snarky andkind.Exactly who I chose to be, and loved.

I didn't know who or what I was anymore, but I wasn’t beautiful.

I didn’t even want to be that, now.

So, I kissed Ryker.

Mostly so he'd stop talking.

I'd hoped it would stir something inside me. It did, when my fang nicked his lip and the faintest taste of his blood was on my tongue. He didn't jump away, either.

He pulled back, still grinning as he tipped his head to the side for me.

I'd bitten Rhone enough times to know that my instincts would take me straight to his jugular.Sure enough, my teeth were sinking into his throat a heartbeat later.

He didn't smell or taste like marshmallows, the way Rhone did.

But blood was blood, and it sated the endless craving I had.

I drank deeply.

I released his vein long enough to pull his shirt over his head. Mine followed it.

I glutted myself on his blood while he fucked me, and it wasn't great, but it was okay.

Okay was better than anything else I had felt in too long.

When I stumbledout of the bedroom reeking of Ryker ten minutes later, my hunger wasn't anywhere near sated.

I wantedmore.

More sex.

More blood.

More feelings.

I couldn't let myself have more, obviously. I was dangerously full already, and if I let myself continue reveling, I'd be lost to the pleasure of actually having my hunger sated.

I’d devolve, and stay that way for at least a few hours.

Oren had drilled it into me:

Small meals until I could both handle the hunger and acknowledge when I was full.

He didn't approve of how small my meals actually were, but he accepted that it was up to me. Him and Sutton were using similar methods on the pack's other newly turned vampire, and they worked on her. Riley was coping with everything better than I was, but she hadn't killed anyone when she turned.

She hadn't had her neck snapped by the guy she was screwing.

She hadn't heard her mother tell someone to kill her.

And she had never fully devolved. Which was the main factor, according to Rhone and Oren and Nolan and Maverick and Sutton.

They probably only kept me alive for my best friend. I was pretty sure they were afraid of what Bloom would do if she lost me.

I was too.